The case presents the experience of Ural Federal University in forming a strategy for its communication with target groups as a response to external challenges defined by new positioning of the institution in the international scientific and educational sphere. The university had to ultimately restructure the services responsible for promoting its brand, expand the variety of interaction practices both within the academic environment and from the outside - with graduates, their parents, teachers, scientific community, governance and business. Formation of the new media communication strategy has taken place under lack of appropriate management practices and their analytical support. These practices are still sketchy and remain underexplored. The case of Ural Federal University allows to supplement the arsenal of works and researches in the sphere of media strategies development of Russian universities. The novelty of the proposed case lies in analysis of the setting of strategic aims in this sphere, in developing and substantiation of structural decisions and practical mechanisms, which are confirmed by the verification of independent expert sources for effectiveness and realizability. The experience of Ural Federal University would be useful both to researchers of universities’ media activity and to practicians, because it reflects the experience if creating an effective model of modern media strategy, which allowed the university in 2021 to become one of the leaders of Russian Ministry of Education rating of Russian universities’ media activity.